EyeTV 2.5 – WiFi Streaming to iPhone
EyeTV is one of the cornerstones of my Mac home theatre system. I love the program and am eternally grateful to El Gato for continually refining and expanding the features it offers…particularly in light of the fact that there’s no real alternative for Mac users interested in an HDTV viewing/recording system.
So, based on the reality that I NEED EyeTV to simply do what it states, continued stability is always at the top of my wishlist when a new release comes out. Not that it’s a chronically unstable program…it’s not. But I dare not look this gifthorse in the mouth when it comes to hoping for bling on a new release.
Sometimes, however, a wonderful surprise arrives that you didn’t even imagine would be on the way. And EyeTV’s 2.5 release contains a zinger for iPhone owners. In short, it allows full access to your library of recordings wirelessly over any WiFi connection via the iPhone’s Mobile Safari browser. You simply turn this feature on under EyeTV’s Preferences and each time a show is recorded, the app produces an iPhone-ready version that it hosts, just waiting to be watched!
I use it primarily on my home network when I’ve got chores to do, but it can be accessed anywhere you have a WiFi connection (EDGE is out…sorry). The High-Priestess-Of-All-That-Is-iPhone, Erica Sadun, even wrote a detailed how-to over at TUAW that explains everything beautifully.
And there is a small launcher hosted at ModMyiFone that can be added to a modded iPhone’s springboard for one-click access from anywhere you’ve got a WiFi connection.
Not only is this just flat-out cool, it also offers a workaround for the iPhone’s 8GB of storage space. Forget having to selectively load up the iPhone with TV when you’re away from home. I just confirm that there will be internet access at my destination, pack my AirPort Express
While this probably isn’t reason enough to buy and set-up an EyeTV system (although the cost of an EyeTV Hybrid
